PHOENIX — Jurors in Jodi Arias’ trial have found the former waitress should be eligible for the death penalty after they convicted her last week of murdering her lover.

The decision came after a day of testimony Wednesday during which prosecutors had to prove the murder was committed in an especially cruel and heinous manner.

The 32-year-old Arias admitted killing Travis Alexander in June 2008 at his suburban Phoenix home. She first denied involvement. Two years after her arrest, she said it was self-defense. Prosecutors said she planned the killing in a jealous rage.

Next up is the final penalty phase as prosecutors call witnesses, including Alexander’s family, as they attempt to convince jurors Arias should face the ultimate punishment. Arias’ attorneys will work to gain sympathy from jurors to spare her life.

The prosecutor spent the day Wednesday trying to convince jurors that Arias should be eligible for the death penalty, saying Alexander suffered tremendous pain as he fought for his life while Arias stabbed and slashed him nearly 30 times.

Both Arias and Alexander’s family wept as prosecutor Juan Martinez took the jury through the killing one more time. He described how blood gushed from Alexander’s chest, hands and throat as he stood at the sink in his master bathroom and looked into the mirror with Arias behind him.

“She made sure she killed him by stabbing him over and over and over again,” Martinez said.

The next phase of the trial will determine whether Arias, 32, gets the death penalty or a life sentence.

Arias, wearing a silky, cream-colored blouse, held her hand on her face and appeared to fight back tears during opening statements, then turned away and cried when graphic autopsy photos were shown. She spent the weekend on suicide watch before being transferred back to an all-female jail where she will remain until sentencing.

Arias’ lawyer Kirk Nurmi gave a brief opening statement in the so-called “aggravation phase” of the trial saying the state cannot prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The defense called no witnesses at the hearing.

Minutes after her first-degree murder conviction last Wednesday, Arias granted an interview to Fox affiliate KSAZ, only adding to the circus-like environment surrounding the trial that has become a cable TV sensation with its graphic tales of sex, lies and violence.

“Longevity runs in my family, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my natural life in one place,” a tearful Arias said. “I believe death is the ultimate freedom, and I’d rather have my freedom as soon as I can get it.”

However, Arias cannot choose the death penalty. It’s up to the jury to recommend a sentence.

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